The NCEA issued an advisory review of the Environmental Management Plan for parts of a petroleum development project in Mozambique. It provided observations and proposed a number of license conditions.
Significant details
A petroleum production agreement was signed between the Government of Mozambique and various other parties. The agreement allowed these parties to produce and process petroleum from the Temane and Pande gas fields in Inhambane province, Mozambique. This gas would be exported to South Africa via an underground pipeline.
EIAs had to be undertaken for various components of this development, including:
- exploration activities;
- development of a network of wells and flow lines;
- construction and operation of a gas plant; and
- construction and operation of a pipeline system.
Based on these EIA reports, the environmental ministry (MICOA) provided a temporary license for these project components. Specific and separate Environmental Management Plans (EMP) will govern environmental management of the various components. MICOA has asked the NCEA to assist in reviewing the EMP and in formatting license conditions for some of these aspects. These include the natural gas plant and associated well sites, flow lines and access road infrastructure.
In its advisory review, the NCEA provided observations and formulated suggestions for licensing conditions on a range of topics, including:
- monitoring of gas composition (specifically on Mercury);
- monitoring of production water quantity;
- flue gases handling of the TEG regenerator;
- the use of low NOx technology and NOx monitoring;
- a VOC emission monitoring and reduction programme;
- incinerator emission compliance to EU Directive2000/76/EG and incinerator maintenance;
- effluent management;
- condensate management (avoid open pit burning of condensate);
- waste management (integrated assessment of waste streams).